(RNS) A federal appeals court has denied a bid by a German family to obtain asylum in the U.S., rejecting their claims that they will face persecution back home for their decision to home-school their children.

(RNS) Home-schooling families in Europe have become a cause celebre for some U.S. conservatives, who are rallying around a family in Tennessee who could face fines or loss of custody if forced to return to their native Germany.